Former Gibson Sheriff Arnold dodges jail time in plea deal

Former Gibson County sheriff Chuck Arnold has pleaded guilty to more than 20 charges in a deal with prosecutors that will put him on probation for the next 10 years and require restitution payments of over $8,000 but keep him out of jail.

Arnold, 59, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by fraud; one count of forgery; five counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud; one count of extortion; two counts of theft of property over $1,000; five counts of facilitation of theft and eight counts of official misconduct.

Arnold and 11 other former Gibson County Sheriff’s Office employees were indicted last November on various charges. Arnold’s indictment included 113 counts. Multiple counts of similar charges were dismissed as part of his plea deal.

Numerous other former sheriff’s employees have trials set in the next couple of months.

…According to documents, an audit showed that between July 2013 and September 2014, drugs were picked up under the names of inmates but never given to the inmates, there were issues in accounting for the drug fund, and there were discrepancies between employees’ pay and the time they worked.

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Note: This post should have appeared a week earlier, but, well, better late than never.